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1964 Map of Big Foundation Creek

Name: 1964 Topographic Map of Big Foundation Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

Oil Spring Mountain and the high ridges of the Piceance Basin define this mid-century landscape on the border of Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties. The 1960s terrain is marked by the early infrastructure of resource extraction and telecommunications, featuring a Radio Facility and Dome in the southern portion of the quadrangle. A network of Jeep Trails and a Pipeline Road wind through deep drainages like West Canyon and Sawmill Canyon, illustrating how the region's energy-related development was beginning to overlay the older ranching and natural landscape.

Water remains a critical element in this high-desert environment, with numerous Springs and named branches such as Little Foundation Creek and Big Foundation Creek cutting through the plateaus. For those interested in industrial archaeology or land use, the presence of a Mine, a Gravel Pit, and isolated markers like a Drill Hole or Ruins provide specific points for locating forgotten sites. The transition from the Texas Draw in the north to the Deer Canyon in the south showcases the complex canyon systems that shaped movement and settlement in this part of Colorado.